Apparatus for altering the temperature of granular material



M. EA APPARATUS FOR ALTERING THE TEMPERATURE OF GRANULAR MATERIAL Filed Jan. 19; 1948 Aug. 15, 1950 R MGSH 2,519,148

ROY/4 M MOS/95,4,

Patented Aug. 15, 1950 umrao STATES PATENT OFFICE arrsmrns Eon streamer THE TEMPERA-V.

TUBE or GRANULAR MATERIAL Royal M. McS'l'rea, Wichita, Kans;

App ication January 19, 1948;v ScrialN'o. 330.54-

for the concrete mix that is necessarily exposed to different climatic conditions at. the constructionsite sometimes becomes too hot and atother times'too cold to be incorporated with the other ingredients in the concrete mix., By having the mixing temperature of the concrete uniform, exllansion and contraction of the mixture is decreased, thereby lessening the danger, of expansion cracks object. of the invention is to provide meansby which the temperature of sand can be economically and rapidly altered for use in a concrete mix.

Another object of the invention, is to provide a continuous means whereby the temperature of, sand can be economically and expeditiously.

mixin plant of conventional construction, the

lowing detailed description, when considered in thereof is continuously supplied, to a receptacle from the bottom of which the sand. is dischar ed in a multiplicity of small streams into the upper ends. of vertically extending, metal pipes surrounded by a heat interchanging, liquid, the sand dropping by gravity through and in contact with the walls of the vertical pipes. The vertical pipes extend through a closed chamber that holds the heat interchanging liquid. Cold or hot water is continuously circulated through the closed chamber about the vertical pipes depending upon whether the temperature of the sand is to be lowered or is to have its temperature raised.

The treated sand flowing from the lower ends vessel and from thence transferred to a concrete sand being fed into the plant in proper proportion with the other ingredients formingv the concrete mix.

In the drawin is shown in vertical section an apparatus constructed in accordance with the.

present invention. The particular construction illustrated comprises an elongated vertically extending casing i open at its upper end andsepar te y transverse partitions. 2 and: 3 intoan upper vessel 4 for receiving the sandw to be cooled, a closed intermediate chamber 5 for a heat inter changing liquid and a lower compartment 6.

The partitions 2 and 3 are provided with apertures 1 in which are fitted and suitably secured to the partitions the ends of vertically extending pipes 8, the pipes communicating atopposite ends with,- the upper vessel 4 and lower coins-.- partment 6 and. forming vertical passagesor conduits leading from. the upper vessel 4 throu hthe closed; intermediate chamber 5 to the lower compartment 6, The lower compartment 6 has a sloping bottom wall 9 and a material outlet I10" in: they side. wall thereof at. the lower end. of its. sloping bottom wall; 9 with a discharge spout H extending laterally from said outlet. [2 des ignates. a vertically slidable gate or valve for the material outlet I 0. Any suitable operating means not shown, is provided for opening and closing he gate; or valve. and for holding it in Apparatus is provided for cooling and heating water for use in the intermediate chamber 5 includes a tank I 4 with a. refrigerating unit [5 and a heating unit 22,. Both the refrigerat-- ing unit 15. and. the water heating. unit 22 are of, conventional construction and. are only indi cated in a general way in the drawings Any of the well known conventional forms of ref-rigcrating units and water heating. units suitable for the purposev may be employed. The refriger-- ating unit [.5 has a cooling coil t6 located withinthe tank l4 connected with the refrigerating unit 5 by pipes 29 and 30, in which pipes are valves 3|, 32 providing for closing off communication of the cooling coil [6 with the refrigerating unit. l5 designates an electric motor for operating the cooling unit. The water heating unit 22 has a water chamber that is heated by an oil burner operated in the regular way by an electric motor 23. When the motor is in operation, the oil burner of the heating unit will be 3 Operated to heat the water and generate steam. 24 designates a pipe leading from the steam space of the heating unit 2| into the tank l4, said pipe having suitable outlet nozzles 25. 26 is a return pipe connection from the water tank [4 to the water chamber of the water heating unit. In the pipes 24 and 26 are valves 21, 28

for closing ofi communication of the liquid..heat-.

ing unit 22 with the tank I4. I! designates a pipe connection leading from the tank l4 to the lower end of the intermediate chamber 5, and I8 is a return overflow pipe connection leading from the upper part of the intermediate chamber back to the tank. A centrifugal pump I9 is interposed in the pipe connection I! for forcing water from the tank 14 to the intermediate chamber 5, the apparatus providing for continuper ends with said vessel at the bottom thereof, a tank, a temperature interchanging liquid in said tank, a refrigerating unit having a cooling coil located within the tank for cooling the liqously circulating a heat interchanging liquid; from the tank l4 through the intermediate chamber 5 about the vertical pipes 8. I9 designates an electric motor for operating the pump In practicing the invention, the sand to be preconditioned is continuously supplied to the re ceiving vessel 4; In the drawing, a chute is shown for delivering the sand to the receiving vessel. The sand delivered to the receiving vessel, enters the upper ends of the vertical pipes 8, the sand being thus divided into a multiplicity of small streams and falls by gravity through the vertical pipes 83; As will be understood, if the temperature of the sand is to be lowered, and-cold water is circulated through the chamber 5 about the pipes 8, the cold'water takes up heat from the sand as the same passes through the vertical pipes and in contact with the walls thereof so that the sand after passing through uid-therein, liquid heating means connected with the tank for heating the liquid therein, means for closing 01f communication between the cooling coiland the refrigerating unit and. means for closing off communication between the liquid heating means and the tank whereby the refrig-j crating unit and the liquid heating means may be operated independently of each other, a pipe connection between the tank and the lower part of said chamber, a pump interposed in said con-'- nection for forcing liquid from the tank to said chamber, and a return pipe connection between the upper part of said chamber and said tank.

the vertical pipes, is in a cool state suitable for mixing with the other ingredients of the concrete mix. If the temperature of the sand is to be raised, and hot water is circulated through the chamber 5, heat from the water is transmitted to the, sand, the temperature of the sand being thus raised to the desired degree suitable.

for mixing with the other ingredients of the concrete mix. The preconditioned sand flowing from the vertical pipes is received in the lower compartment' 6 from which it is discharged through the opening I!) onto an endless carrier 2| and conveyed thereby to the mixing plant, not shown.

While a preferred form of apparatus is illustrated in the drawing, it will beunderstoodthat minor changes and modifications may be made in the particular construction shown and theapparatus may take other forms, aswill appeal to those skilled in the art and falling within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In instances'where cold water is available from natural sources, the invention contemplates making use of this for supplying the chamber 5 with cold water, in such instances the cooling unit hereinbefore described being dispensed with.

The tank M is provided with an additional inlet pipe connection for the natural cold water sup- '2. In an apparatus for altering the tempera-1 ture of sand and like granular material, including a vessel open at its upper end for receiving" granular material to be treated, an elongated; vertically disposed closed chamber beneath said receiving vessel for a temperature interchangfl ing liquid, vertical pipes extending through saidclosed chamber and communicating at their, upper ends with said vessel at the bottom there-" of, a tank, a temperature interchanging liquid in said tank, a refrigerating unit having a cooling coil located within the tank, pipes connecting opposite ends of the cooling coil with the refrigcrating unit, a cut-off valve ineach of said pipes,

a liquid heating unit, a pair of pipes connecting the liquid heating unit with said tank, a cut-off valve in each of the last mentioned pipes, a pipe" connection between the tank and the lower part i of said chamber, a pump interposed in said con,

nectionforforcing liquidfrom the tank to said chamber, and a return pipe connection between,

the upper part of the chamber and the tank.

ROYAL M. MCSHEA.

REFERENCES CITED following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name Date 787,396 Provost Apr. 18, 1905 965,214 Mullen July 26, 1910.

1,492,834 Chapman May 6, 1924 1,947,345 Lillard Feb. 13, 1934 1,980,688 Lewis Nov. 13, 1934 2,336,378. Uhlig Dec. '7, 1943 

